An adjustable bed having an upper frame mounted to translate with respect to a lower frame. A center support is connected to the upper frame and has a head support pivotally connected to one end thereof. A thigh support is pivotally connected to the other end of the center support and a foot support is connected to the other end of the thigh support. The bed includes an improved mounting for a massage motor in which a massage motor is suspended from a mounting plate having openings therein resting on a mattress pad or base supported by an articulated support platform.
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18. An adjustable bed comprising:
a bed frame;
an articulated support platform supported by the bed frame;
a mattress pad overlaying said support platform;
a mounting plate having at least one opening therein located above the mattress pad; and
a massage motor suspended from the mounting plate.
1. An adjustable bed comprising:
a bed frame;
a first support section supported by the bed frame;
a second support section having one end pivotally attached to one end of the first support section;
a mattress pad overlaying said first and second support sections;
a mounting plate having at least one opening therein located above the mattress pad,
a massage motor suspended from the mounting plate.
13. An adjustable bed comprising:
a bed frame;
a center support section supported by the bed frame;
a second support section having one end pivotally attached to one end of the center support section, the second support section having an opening therethrough;
a mattress pad overlaying said center and second support sections;
a mounting plate having rounded corners resting on said mattress pad;
a massage motor mounted to the mounting plate and extending through the opening in the second support section.
2. The adjustable bed of
3. The adjustable bed of
4. The adjustable bed of
8. The adjustable bed of
9. The adjustable bed of
a thigh support section having one end pivotally connected to the opposite end of the first support section; and
a foot support section having one end pivotally connected to an opposite end of the thigh center support section and the foot support section has an opening therethrough for receiving the massage motor suspended from the mounting plate.
10. The adjustable bed of
11. The adjustable bed of
a third support section having one end in mechanical communication with an opposite end of the first support section;
a second mounting plate located above the third support section; and
a second massage motor suspended from the second mounting plate.
12. The adjustable bed of
14. The adjustable bed of
15. The adjustable bed of
19. The adjustable bed of
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This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/108,995, filed Apr. 19, 2005 entitled “Adjustable Bed”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,039,970, which is fully incorporated by reference herein.
This invention relates generally to adjustable beds and more particularly, to improvements to adjustable beds.
Adjustable beds have been used for many years to permit the user to adjust the head and foot sections of the bed to different positions. While originally only manually adjustable, more recently, the head and foot sections are moved by motors operated by the user via a remote control.
Adjustable beds were originally designed principally for use in medical environments by patients who had to spend long periods of time in bed for reasons of health, injury, etc. However, more recently, adjustable beds are also being used in residential environments by users who have no health or physical impairment. An increasing number of people place televisions and other entertainment devices in the bedroom, and more time is spent lounging in bed. Hence, the bed, and in particular, an adjustable bed, is considered by many users an alternative piece of leisure furniture. As the market for leisure beds grows, there is continuing effort by suppliers to provide leisure beds that are more comfortable, have more options, for example, massage capabilities, more sophisticated controls, and are more affordable.
One recent development in adjustable beds is the development of a “wallhugger” adjustable bed. The wallhugger adjustable bed maintains the user in the same position with respect to adjacent appliances and furniture as the head portion of the bed is moved between flat and elevated positions. To achieve that purpose, as the head section pivots upward, an upper bed frame portion translates toward the head end of the bed with respect to a stationary lower bed frame section.
Almost all adjustable beds utilize one or more massage motors which are controllable by a user to provide a massaging action while the user is in the bed. In one embodiment, a massage motor is rigidly connected to an underside of a rigid platform, for example, a head board or a foot board, that is hinged to a centerboard or platform. Further, the whole articulated platform normally supports a mattress base, for example, a foam pad approximately 4 inches thick over which is placed beneath a mattress. Thus, any vibration applied to the underside of the head board must vibrate the whole head board; and further, the vibration is partially absorbed and attenuated by the soft materials in the mattress base and the mattress. The resulting or net vibration applied to a user lying on the mattress is often substantially less than is desired. In other designs, the massage motor is rigidly mounted to a resonator board that is inserted into a centrally located slit and cutout portion of the mattress base. The resonator board is then bonded to an interior surface within the slit in the mattress base, and the massage motor extends downward through the cutout in the mattress base and a contiguous cutout in the platform supporting the mattress base and the mattress. As with the former design, the vibrating action of the massage motor is substantially attenuated by the thick foam mattress base.
Thus, there is a need for an improved bed structure for more effectively transmitting massaging actions or vibrations from a massage motor to a user lying on the bed.
The present invention provides an adjustable bed having an improved massage capability, thereby increasing the satisfaction of the user with the bed. The adjustable bed of the present invention is especially useful when multiple massage motors are incorporated into the bed.
According to the principles of the present invention and in accordance with one embodiment, the adjustable bed of the present invention has a bed frame and a support section supported by the bed frame and adapted to support a mattress and a user laying on such mattress. The bed further has a mounting plate located on an upper surface of a mattress pad or base, and a massage motor mounted to and suspended by the mounting plate. This massage motor mounting structure greatly improves the transmission of vibrations created by the massage motor to a user laying on a mattress resting on the mattress pad or base.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the adjustable bed has a mattress base or pad having a thickness of approximately one inch for covering the support section. The mattress base may be made of any suitable material but is usually made of foam or fiber. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the mounting plate is supported by the mattress base on the upper surface thereof; and the massage motor is suspended therefrom. Thus, the mounting plate is mounted such that vibrations from the massage motor are transmitted directly to the mounting plate and on to the mattress. The mounting mechanism reduces or eliminates any transfer of vibration to the adjustable bed frame or support platform.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the mounting plate may have at least one opening therein. Consequently, such mounting plate is made of less material and therefore less expensive to manufacture than a solid mounting plate.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the mounting plate may have rounded corners instead of square corners as in a rectangular mounting plate. Such a mounting plate is less likely to rub again or abrade the material surrounding the mattress core, a material known in the industry as upholstery.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the mounting plate may have reinforcing ribs between openings therein. Although such a mounting plate may be still flexible, it provides desirable rigidity for effectively and quietly transferring vibration from the massage motor to the mattress.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent during the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings herein.
Referring to
The upper frame 24 includes a head rail 33, a foot rail 34 and left and right side rails 35, 36, respectively. The rails 33-36 are rigidly connected at their ends with fasteners to form the generally rectangular upper frame 24. The upper frame side rails 35-36 are made of angle stock, and the upper frame 24 is movably mounted on the lower frame 22 by four wheels 37 which are rotatably mounted to the ends of legs 38. The wheels 37 ride in C-shaped channels or tracks 39 forming the left and right lower frame side rails 30, 31, respectively.
As best illustrated in
A mattress base or pad 48, for example, a one inch foam pad, is mounted over and covers the head, center, thigh and foot support boards 40-46. Normally, the boards 40-46 and mattress pad 48 are enclosed within a covering (not shown). As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
The mounting plate 74 may be made of any suitable material to which the massage motor 70 may be attached, for example, semi-flexible plastic. The mounting plate 74 resides on an upper surface 78 of the mattress pad 48. If desired, washers (not shown) may be located between the mounting plate 74 and the base plates 72 of the massage motor 70. As best seen in
The massage motor 70, suspended from the mounting plate 74 with fasteners 76, extends through an opening 86 within the foot section 46 of the articulated platform 100. The mattress pad 48 is placed over the upper surface 77 of the articulated platform section 100.
When the message motor 70 is turned on, it transfers its vibrations to the mounting plate 74 and ultimately to the mattress 50. Since the mounting plate 74 is not rigidly fixed to the articulated platform 100 or any section thereof, the mounting plate 74 is relatively free to oscillate or vibrate as necessary based on the action of the massage motor 70 The mounting plate 74 supplies a substantially greater vibration to the mattress 50 than would otherwise be possible if the mounting plate 74 were rigidly connected to the articulated platform 100. Any contact between the mounting plate 74 and the articulated platform 100 may result in an undesirable and distracting vibrating noise.
The mattress pad 48 simply lays over the upper surface 77 of the support platform 46. The mattress pad 48 can be made of any soft material such as a fiber or foam, for example, a one inch thick urethane foam having a density of approximately 1.8 and an I.L.D. of from approximately 30 pounds to approximately 35 pounds. While the mattress pad 48 in nominally 1 inch thick, it can have a thickness in the range of from approximately 0.500 inch to approximately 3 inches.
Thus, with the massage motor mounting illustrated in
While the invention has been illustrated by the description of one embodiment and while the embodiment has been described in considerable detail, there is no intention to restrict nor in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those who are skilled in the art. For example, the massage motor mounting of this invention is described with respect to a “wallhugger” adjustable bed. As will be appreciated, the same massage motor mounting may be applied to other adjustable bed designs which are not of the “wallhugger” type. In addition, where appropriate, for example, where a platform construction is used instead of a box spring, the same massage motor mounting and cover may be applied to nonadjustable bed designs.
In the described embodiment with respect to
Therefore, the invention in its broadest aspects is not limited to the specific detail shown and described. Consequently, departures may be made from the details described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims which follow.
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